The present disclosure relates generally to acoustic modeling and simulation. It finds particular relevance to the simulation of vehicle horn sound pressure level (SPL) for purposes of meeting horn SPL regulations, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present exemplary embodiments are also amenable to other similar applications.
Horn sound pressure level (SPL) is a regulation that car manufactures must comply with before vehicles can be sold in certain markets, such as the United States and the European Union. For example, horn SPL must exceed 93 dBA at seven meters from the vehicle to meet SPL regulations in the EU. One technical challenge to meeting horn SPL regulations is generating a suitable horn layout (i.e., the placement of the horn within a vehicle).
Traditionally, horn layouts have been created based upon experience and design guides. That is to say, a horn has traditionally been placed within a vehicle on the basis of skill and intuition. Under such an approach, horn SPL generally cannot be measured until a prototype of the vehicle is built. Thereafter, once the prototype is built, the prototype is used to test horn layouts on a regulation test setup, such as the regulation test setup illustrated in FIG. 1. As can be seen in FIG. 1, SPL is being measured at 7 meters and 15 meters from the vehicle.
Following the traditional approach, however, it is feasible that a horn layout does not meet horn SPL regulation requirements as late as the initiation of mass production. Naturally, failing to meet regulatory requirements may lead to a costly redesign of the horn layout. Consequently, there exists a need for improved systems and/or methods for meeting horn SPL regulations.